A Collaborative Study to Establish the 5th International Standard for Unfractionated Heparin

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 1017-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Walker ◽  
Barbara Mulloy ◽  
Trevor Barrowcliffe ◽  
Elaine Gray

SummaryTwenty-four laboratories participated in a collaborative study to calibrate a replacement for the 4th International Standard for Unfractionated Heparin (82/502). Both candidate materials A and B, gave excellent intra- and inter-laboratory variations (majority of mean %gcv <10%) when assayed against the 4th International Standard. No major differences of potency estimates were found between methods, although the USP method generally gave lower potencies than the other methods and candidate B gave a greater variation between methods than A. Overall, this study showed that the differences between the candidates are marginal. Based on its narrower molecular weight profile, higher specific activity and slightly lower inter-method variation, candidate A, 97/578, was proposed and accepted in October, 1998, by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation to be the 5th International Standard for Unfractionated Heparin with an assigned potency of 2031 IU/ampoule.

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (07) ◽  
pp. 46-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dawn Walker ◽  
Alan B. Heath ◽  
Elaine Gray

SummaryEighteen laboratories participated in a collaborative study to calibrate a replacement for the 1st International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate (88/548). Excellent agreement between laboratories, as indicated by mean % gcv of 3.3 and 5.9 for functional and antigenic assays, was observed when the candidate concentrate (96/520) was assayed against the 1st International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate (88/548). The functional potency was found to be 7.9% (p <0.05) lower than the antigenic potency. Based on the results and with the agreement of the participants of this study and the authorisation of the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation, the antithrombin concentrate, coded 96/520, has been established as the 2nd International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate, with labelled potencies for both functional (4.7 IU/ampoule) and antigenic (5.1 IU/ampoule) activities.


1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (02) ◽  
pp. 267-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
A B Heath ◽  
P J Gaffney

SummaryAn International Standard for Streptokinase - Streptodomase (62/7) has been used to calibrate high purity clinical batches of SK since 1965. An international collaborative study, involving six laboratories, was undertaken to replace this standard with a high purity standard for SK. Two candidate preparations (88/826 and 88/824) were compared by a clot lysis assay with the current standard (62/7). Potencies of 671 i.u. and 461 i.u. were established for preparations A (88/826) and B (88/824), respectively.Either preparation appeared suitable to serve as a standard for SK. However, each ampoule of preparation A (88/826) contains a more appropriate amount of SK activity for potency testing, and is therefore preferred. Accelerated degradation tests indicate that preparation A (88/826) is very stable.The high purity streptokinase preparation, coded 88/826, has been established by the World Health Organisation as the 2nd International Standard for Streptokinase, with an assigned potency of 700 i.u. per ampoule.


1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (04) ◽  
pp. 424-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A B Heath ◽  
J W Fenton II

SummarySince 1975 an International Standard for Thrombin of low purity has been used. While this standard was stable and of value for calibrating thrombins of unknown potency the need for a pure a-thrombin standard arose both for accurate calibration and for precise measurement of thrombin inhibitors, notably hirudin. An international collaborative study was undertaken to establish the potency and stability of an ampouled pure a-thrombin preparation. A potency of 97.5 international units (95% confidence limits 86.5-98.5) was established for the new a-thrombin standard (89/ 588) using a clotting-assay procedure. Stability data at various elevated temperatures indicated that the standard could be transported and stored with no significant loss of potency.Ampoules of lyophilised a-thrombin (coded 89/588) have been recommended as an International Standard for a-thrombin with an assigned potency of 100 international units per ampoule by the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Thrombin and its Inhibitors Sub-Committee) in Barcelona, Spain in July 1990 while the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation and Control of the World Health Organisation will consider its status at its next meeting in Geneva in 1991.


2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (06) ◽  
pp. 1071-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Heath ◽  
T. W. Barrowcliffe ◽  
S. Raut

SummaryA study was carried out to replace the 5th WHO International Standard (IS) for factor VIII concentrate, because of depletion of stocks. Two candidate concentrates (X and Y) were assayed as potential replacements against the 5th IS for FVIII concentrate, in a collaborative study involving 33 laboratories. Collaborators were asked to use the ISTH/SSC recommendations, including pre-dilution of concentrates in FVIII deficient plasma in their assays. Several laboratories performed more than one assay method and altogether there were 21 sets of assays with the one-stage method, 6 with the two-stage method and 26 with the chromogenic method. There was good agreement between laboratories using each method for the comparison of concentrates X and Y against the 5th IS, but the overall potencies by one-stage and chromogenic methods each differed by approximately 5% from the overall mean, with the chromogenic potency approximately 10% higher than the one-stage. Inter-laboratory agreement was slightly better for concentrate Y than X, and stability studies indicated that Y was more stable than X. After considering all the information, together with comments from participants and from the FVIII/FIX Subcommittee of the ISTH/SSC, candidate Y (NIBSC code [97/616]), was proposed and accepted in October, 1998, by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation to be the 6th International Standard for Factor VIII Concentrate with an assigned potency of 8.5 IU/ampoule.


1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (04) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J Gaffney ◽  
M Y Wong

SummaryThere is increased interest in the relationship between plasma fibrinogen levels and the incidence of coronary artery disease. The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (UK) has completed a study to establish an International Standard for plasma fibrinogen. This study was conducted using a recommended assay procedure to measure the clottable material present in the proposed lyophilised Standard (coded 89/644). Twenty-two laboratories from nine countries took part in the study and analysis of the data allowed the calibration of 89/644 at 2.4 mg/ml clottable protein. Agreement with this figure was established in two laboratories using three or more different assays for plasma fibrinogen. Degradation studies of the proposed plasma fibrinogen Standard suggested that no loss of clottable protein was observed when the lyophilised material was stored at 20° C for 1 year.The Fibrinogen Sub-Committee of the ISTH (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 1991) supported the establishment of 89/644 as an International Standard. This collaborative study will be presented to the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation at their 1992 session. In the meantime 89/644 will be distributed as the proposed International Standard for plasma fibrinogen measurement containing 2.4 mg/ ml clottable protein.


2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (08) ◽  
pp. 258-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Whitton ◽  
D. Sands ◽  
P. J. Gaffney ◽  
A. R. Hubbard

SummaryAn International Collaborative Study involving 12 laboratories in 7 different countries was undertaken in order to replace the 1st International Standard (IS) for Fibrinogen, Plasma (89/644). The candidate replacement standard was the ampouled and freeze-dried residue of solvent/detergent treated plasma and was calibrated as coded duplicates (A and B) versus the 1st IS Fibrinogen, Plasma by automated Clauss assay and by a recommended clot collection (gravimetric) assay. This latter method had been used to calibrate the 1st IS Fibrinogen, Plasma.Comparing the ratios of the potency estimates of sample A to sample B (the coded duplicates), all of the laboratories obtained a ratio within 5% of the expected value of 1.0 by automated Clauss assay, which suggests that the laboratories were able to perform this assay well. Scrutiny of the data obtained from the gravimetric assays revealed that in almost all cases the results were invalid. The results of these assays are included in this report but clearly should be treated with caution and indeed produced significantly lower mean estimates of potency than the other assay methods. The overall geometric mean of all estimates of potency of the proposed 2nd IS Fibrinogen, Plasma (98/612) is 2.19 mg/ampoule by the automated Clauss assay. These data have been presented to the Fibrinogen Sub-Committee of the Standardisation and Scientific Committee (SSC) of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) (Washington, DC, August 1999), which recommended the establishment of 98/612 as the 2nd IS Fibrinogen, Plasma. This report has been presented to the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation (ECBS-WHO) at their 1999 session and 98/612 was established as the 2nd IS Fibrinogen, Plasma with a potency of 2.2 mg/ ampoule.


Author(s):  
Susan J. Thorpe ◽  
Dawn Sands ◽  
Alan B. Heath ◽  
Malcolm S. Hamilton ◽  
Sheena Blackmore ◽  
...  

AbstractFolate measurements, particularly for whole blood, show wide inter-laboratory and inter-methodology variability. This variability appears to be due in part to the lack of internationally accepted reference materials. A whole blood haemolysate, lyophilised in ampoules and designated 95/528, was therefore evaluated by 15 laboratories in five countries for its suitability as an International Standard (IS) for whole blood folate. The preparation was assayed using a variety of microbiological and protein-binding methodologies against local standards and calibrators. A consensus folate content was assigned to 95/528. The inclusion of three whole blood samples in the study with widely differing folate levels demonstrated a considerable reduction in inter-laboratory variability when the folate content of the samples was determined relative to the proposed IS 95/528 rather than to laboratories' local standards and calibrators. Accelerated degradation studies indicated that the folate content of 95/528 is stable when stored at −20°C. On the basis of the results presented here, the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Biological Standardization established 95/528 as an IS for whole blood folate.


1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (03) ◽  
pp. 398-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A B Heath

SummaryAn international collaborative study involving eleven laboratories located in eight countries was undertaken to establish an International Standard for high molecular weight urinary-type plasminogen activator (HMW/u-PA). The current International Reference Preparation (IRP code numbered 66146) for urinarytype plasminogen activator (u-PA) ot urokinase (see Nomenclature footnote) is a 66/34 molar ratio mixture of low molecular weight (LMW) - and high molecular weight (HMW) - u-PA’s and is considered unsuitable as a standard for homogeneous preparations of HMW/u-PA. The putative standard for HMWu-PA (code number, 87/594) was compared for potency in a clot lysis assay with the current IRP for u-PA (code numbet, 66146) and a lyophilised preparation of single chain urinary-type plasminogen activator (SCuPA), the latter being used in the assay without prior activation by plasmin to its active two chain form (TCuPA).Both the proposed standard for HMWu-PA (871594) and the SCuPA compared in a statistically satisfactory manner in parallel line bioassays with the current IRP for u-PA (66146), thus allowing potency estimates to be obtained for these two materials in relation to defined international units. Data from the eleven laboratories indicated that each ampoule of the proposed standard for HMWu-PA contained 4,300 i. u. of activity and was stable for over 1 year at 4° C. Most participants indicated that SCuPA expressed only a small amount of its activity without a prior activator step and this suggests that SCuPA assays need to be preceded by a plasmin activation stepThe Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organisation (Geneva, Oct 1989) established 871 594 as the International Standard for high molecular weight two chain urinary type plasminogen activator (HMW/TCuPA, of HMWu-PA), with an assigned unitage of 4,300 international units per ampoule.


1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (04) ◽  
pp. 1085-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A D Curtis

SummaryAn international collaborative study involving ten laboratories located in eight different countries was undertaken in order to replace the current International Standard (I.S.) for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Two lyophilised candidate preparations of high purity were assessed in comparison with the current I.S. for t-PA using only a clot lysis assay. One preparation (coded 861670) was purified from a cultured melanoma cell supernatant and was about 98% single chain t-PA while the other preparation (coded 861624) was derived from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells following DNA recombinant procedures and was 75% single chain t-PA.Both candidate preparations of t-PA compared in quite a satisfactory manner with the current I.S. from the viewpoint of the biometrics of parallel line bioassays and both preparations were quite stable for long periods at low temperatures and stable from up to 1 month at temperatures of 20° and 38° C. Both fultil the criteria to serve as a satisfactory Znd International Standard for t-PA. The Fibrinolysis Subcommittee of the International Committee for Thrombosis and Haemostasis recommended the melanoma source t-PA (861670) as the next I.S. in order to maintain continuity with the 1st I.S. which was also a melanomatype preparation. The data from the ten laboratories indicated that each ampoule of the new proposed standard contains 850 international units of t-PA activity by the clot lysis assay. It is planned to present the results of this study to the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization at its next meeting and to request that the preparation of t-PA, coded 861670, be established as the 2ndlnternational Standard for t-PA.


1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (01) ◽  
pp. 134-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A D Curtis

SummaryAn international collaborative study involving seven laboratories was undertaken to assess which of three lyophilised preparations might serve as an International Standard (I.S.) for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Two of the preparations were isolates from human melanoma cell cultures while one was of pig heart origin. A clot lysis assay was used by all participants in the study.The data suggested that both preparations of human cell origin were comparable, in that their log dose-response lines were parallel, while that of the porcine preparation was not. Accelerated degradation studies indicated that one melanoma extract (denoted 83/517) was more stable than the other and it was decided to recommend preparation 83/517 as the standard for t-PA. The International Committee for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Stockholm 1983) has recommended the use of this material as a standard and it has been established by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization as the International, Standard for tissue plasminogen activator, with an assigned potency of 1000 International Units per ampoule.


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